Ferrari

 

       "Ferrari" centers the story of Enzo Ferrari during 1957. Enzo is reeling from the death of his son, his disintegrating marriage, company financial trouble, dealing with his mistress and his illegitimate son, all while preparing for the Millie Miglia, one of Italy's most important races.

        Adam Driver stars as Enzo Ferrari in a cold self-absorbed performance While his acting is solid, it's difficult to empathize with this character. Penelope Cruz co-stars as Laura, his wife and company partner. Ms. Cruz steals every scene she's in and is simply an unstoppable force of nature. Also co-starring is Shailene Woodley as Lina, Enzo's mistress. While a very capable actress, Ms. Woodley is completely miscast this time. And in another strange casting choice, Patrick Dempsey plays Piero Taruffi, one of Ferrari's racecar drivers.

       The film is directed by Michael Mann who appears to have lost a step from his usual style. Outside of the car scenes, the film moves at a slow pace amounting to nothing more than an Italian soap opera. The racing scenes leading up to the Millie Miglia are all practice runs and become repetitive but the Mille Miglia itself is very exciting and features one of the most horrific sequences I've ever seen in a racing film.

        While a fascinating character study, the only real winner at the checkered flag is Ms. Cruz whose performance leaves everyone else in her dust.

The Boys in The Boat

 

   Director George Clooney tells the true story of the University of Washinton's 1936 crew team, a bunch of underdogs that learned to work as a team and overcome adversity and become winners.,

   On the surface, the screenplay by Mark L. Smith is a sure-fire crowd-pleasing sports film that features exciting race sequences, but the film may as well have been called "The Boy in The Boat" as its focus is on one particular crew member, Joe Rantz, played by Callum Turner. Joe is the only fully realized character out of the eight-man team. Crew members Don Hume, played by Jack Mulhern and Roger Morris, played by Sam Strike show a little personality as does coxswain Bobby Moch, played by Luke Slattery but that leaves four members of the crew we know nothing about (yes there is one scene where we do learn one of the crew was so poor, he stole clothes but that's it).

   The eight men work hard to become a team and beat the odds but knowing more about each member would leave audience more fully invested. As a character says, "we weren't eight men, we were one". And that one character is represented by Joe. So of course, we root for him. I also found myself rooting for Joel Edgerton who plays Al Ulbrickson, the coach and Peter Guinness, the wise old boat craftsman.

   Mr. Clooney's direction is pretty standard but it's the racing scenes that really sell the film. The cinematography, by Martin Ruhe, is terrific, especially the overhead shots of the boats. Those shots make the races even more exciting and poetic watching the crew as they row in synchronization.

    It's a good movie that will stir a crowd but like the boats it features, the story just skims the surface when there is obviously more story to tell below the waterline. Plot points are left dangling like oars at rest. A missed opportunity to make a good movie...great.

    

   

Saltburn

 

       The less said about this new film from writer/director Emerald Fennell, the better. If you are prepared for a debauched jolt to your senses, you won't be disappointed.

       Barry Keoghan stars as Oliver, a scholarship student at Oxford who befriends Felix (played by Jacob Elordi), his handsome and rich roommate. When Oliver tells Felix his father has died, Felix feels bad for him and invites Oliver to Saltburn, his family's estate for the summer. Oliver meets the rest of Felix's spoiled rich family and what happens from that point on, simply can't be described.

       Rosamund Pike and Richard E. Grant play Felix's parents, Lady Elspeth and Sir James. Alison Oliver plays Venetia, their daughter and Archie Madekwe is Farleigh, Felix's sarcastic American cousin. Cary Mulligan has an almost unrecognizable cameo as Pamela, Elspeth's friend.

       The plot, as is, has been done before but never to this extreme. The film is at once, funny, dramatic, intense, sensual, explicit, creepy and while a bit too neat, surprising. It's a polarizing story that will definitely leave an impact.

       It's still in some theaters and now available, streaming on Prime video.

Best & Worst of 2023

My Best and Worst films of 2023-

TOP 10 FILMS OF 2023

Killers of the Flower Moon- a masterpiece of film making co-written and directed by Martin Scorsese. Incredible in every way.

Poor Things- Emma Stone is sensational in this amazing and original fantasy.

American Fiction- Brilliant satire with the incredible Jeffrey Wright in the lead role.

Maestro- Bradley Cooper’s magnificent story of the life and times of legendary composer and conductor, Leonard Bernstein

Barbie- Bizarre, surreal, and brilliant. Greta Gerwig found the perfect way to make this film work.

Oppenheimer- Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece. “Nuff” said.

Napoleon- Epic in scale, it’s a great examination of the world conqueror and his great love, Josephine.

The Holdovers- A funny yet heartbreaking comedy/drama with a wonderful performance by Paul Giamatti.

Anatomy Of a Fall- Excellent courtroom and family drama.

RRR- India’s highest grossing action-adventure film. A simply amazing story filled with impossible sequences that will blow you away.

BOTTOM 10 FILMS

Leave The World Behind- Leave this film behind.

65- The Last of Us meets Jurassic Park with Adam Driver battling dinosaurs.

The Meg 2: The Trench- Cheesy sequel starring the always reliable Jason Statham.

Haunted Mansion- Not very funny or scary and a waste of a very good but eclectic cast.

Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania- Overblown visually and noisy. Exists only to introduce new Marvel villain, Kang played well by Jonathan Majors, who is now banned from the Marvel Universe.

Triangle of Sadness- Sad how this terrible film has fooled every critic.

Operation Fortune- A lazy Guy Ritchie spy flick with very few good moments but co-stars the wonderfully snarky Aubrey Plaza.

About My Father- Sebastian Maniscalco should stick to stand-up. An unfunny comedy loosely based on his life.

The Boogeyman- Disappointing generic horror film.

The Iron Claw

 

   Written and directed by Sean Durkin, this new sports drama is inspired by the real life story of the Von Erich wrestling family. It is both a story of triumph and also terrible tragedy.

    During the 1980's the Von Erich brothers were wrestling's only family of competitors. They wrestled individually and as a tag team. At times, there was great success but also personal tragedy. The film doesn't shy away from what the family called it's "curse" and while it ends on a positive note, it's actually harbors quite a bit of sadness.

     As the brothers, the film stars Zac Efron (almost unrecognizable), Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, and Stanley Simons. Their parents are played by Holt McCallany and Maura Tierney. The film also co-stars Lily James and Michael J. Harney. Mr. McCallany has been acting for some time now and this is his best role to date.

     The wrestling scenes are realistically filmed and exciting enough but the pace of the film drags at times. I'm sure wrestling fans familiar with the Von Erich brothers will enjoy the film but even if you are not a fan, it is a fascinating and entertaining (albeit sad) film with very solid acting.

Wonka

 

       With a screenplay co-written and directed by Paul King, this is a new musical fantasy of how Willie Wonka became "Wonka". It's a clever origin story but leaves out an important detail. Just where does he get his incredible ingredients?

        Timothee Chalamet plays Willie Wonka and while his singing is just passable, he makes up for it with plenty of charm and personality. His co-stars include Calah Lane as Noodle, an orphan girl who becomes his assistant of sorts, Keegan- Michael Key as the chocolate addicted chief of police, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, and Matthew Bayton as the villainous trio of evil chocolate makers, Sally Hawkins as  Willie's mom, Rowan Atkinson as a chocolate addicted corrupt priest, Jim Carter as Abacus Crunch, Tom Davis as Bleacher, the wonderful Olivia Colman as Mrs. Scrubitt and Hugh Grant as Lofty, the Oompa-Loompa.

        Ms. Colman and Mr. Grant almost steal the film out from Mr. Chalamet. They are both clearly having a great time. Fans of "Ghosts U.K." will recognize Charlotte Ritchie, Simon Farnaby and the previously mentioned Matthew Bayton, all from the series.

        The film is a visual treat, full of color and fantastic sets. The songs don't overpower  and fit well into the story. And the running time is perfect at just under two hours. Much lighter in tone than the previous films of Willie Wonka, this is a fun film for the entire family.

Leave the World Behind

 

         A great cast does not always a great movie make. Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, and Mahershala Ali lead a cast that also includes Myha'la, Farrah Mackenzie, Charlie Evans, and in a small but significant part, Kevin Bacon in this apocalyptic "thriller". It thrills for about 45 minutes with a great premise (and a wild scene at the beach), but it ends up as the most boring "Twilight Zone" episode ever.

        The acting is as good as expected from this cast but just about all the characters are annoying. While the premise pulls you in, things happen with no explanation (which I can accept) but almost no reaction from the characters (which I can't accept). If  something really strange happens wouldn’t you tell someone right away rather than wait to casually mention it later in the film?

        Set in a beautiful Long Island home for most of the film, the most interesting thing is the architecture as we watch the cast wait for "something to happen". To keep us awake, the characters and the viewers are exposed to a very annoying noise at various intervals. Mr. Bacon, in basically a cameo, induces the most tension in his one scene, which considering the state of our country these days, is scary in a very real way.

        Director Sam Esmail doesn't help by stretching out the story at a snail's pace. When the big reveal does eventually come, all I kept thinking was "wow, we have just given our very real enemies a blueprint to attack our country". Thanks Mr. Esmail, who also wrote the screenplay.

         Available on Netflix, I wish I could leave this movie behind.

   

Past Lives

 

    Written and directed by Celine Song, this romantic drama is a lovely and honest look at a relationship in its many forms for two people over the course of 24 years. Far from a "rom com", the story borders on painful yet hopeful as we follow the life of Nora Moon (aka Seung Ah Moon) from her early years in Korea to her life in New York as an adult.

     As 12-year-olds in South Korea, Seung Ah Moon and Hae Sung share a friendship that is on the cusp of young love when suddenly Seung's family decides to immigrate to Canada. Hae Sung is quietly crushed by the sudden departure and never gives up trying to find his lost love. 12 Years later, Seung is now Nora and living in New York when a chance encounter on the internet reacquaints her with Hae. They renew their friendship on-line with her in New York and Hae in Korea, but it soon becomes difficult for Nora to continue. She suggests they take a break which lasts another 12 years until one day he decides to visit her in New York.

     Nora is played by the amazing Greta Lee and Hae Sung is played by Teo Yoo, who's love for Nora has never died and is conveyed so well by Mr. Yoo. John Magaro plays Arthur, another character important to the story.

     Ms. Song's screenplay is semi-autobiographical and inspired by real events in her life. Her subtle direction lets the story breathe as we follow the fate of these characters.

      

American Fiction

 

 

       Directed by Cord Jefferson (who also wrote the screenplay), this new comedy-drama is a biting satire with a not so subtle underlying of truth.

       Jeffrey Wright stars as Thelonius "Monk" Ellison, a serious writer who takes some non-voluntary time off from teaching to visit his family and attend a book conference. "Monk' has not published in some time and is bitter and cynical about the state of modern American fiction. Using a pen name, he decides to write a "street" book as a joke to illustrate the sad state of contemporary fiction, and no one is more surprised than him when the book takes off and is hailed a masterpiece.

       Mr. Wright is marvelous as "Monk". His sublime physical reactions to the madness occurring around him is just one of his strengths as an actor. He handles the comedic moments as deftly as the dramatic ones. Co-starring with Mr. Wright are Tracee Ellis Ross, as his sister, Leslie Uggams (yes, Leslie Uggams) as his mother, John Ortiz as his book agent, Myra Lucretia Taylor as the family housekeeper, Erika Alexander as a potential love interest, Issa Rae as another author and Sterling K. Brown as "Monk's brother, Cliff. Ms. Uggams is a lovely surprise addition to the cast and Mr. Brown sheds his "This Is Us" personality in an entire new way.

        The film is very smart and the satire sharp as a knife. While it has its share of dramatic and even sad moments, it is also very funny with great dialog and situations that get more absurd as the "book" keeps gaining in popularity. And through it all, Mr. Wright tries hard to maintain his sanity right up to the moment of a very clever ending.

        One of the best films of the year that I hope finds a wide audience.

         

Eileen

 

   A  character study that moves between film noir and melodrama with surprising twists along the way. It stars Thomasin McKenzie as Eileen and Anne Hathaway as Rebecca, a woman who becomes Eileen's obsession.

   The two stars have great chemistry in this psychological drama that gets darker and stranger as it goes on. Ms. McKenzie, in particular, is terrific as the complex title character. Ms. Hathaway, of late, is choosing far more interesting roles in Independent films than her previous Hollywood lead parts. Here she plays a disturbed femme fatale.

   The film co-stars Shea Whigham as Eileen's widowed, alcoholic father, and Marin Ireland as  Mrs. Polk, a pivotal character. Ms. Ireland's part is small but she delivers a a great performance during an extended monologue.  

   Richard Reed Parry ( of Arcade Fire) did the music and both the score and song selections are perfect.

   Moody and progressively twisted, the story may not appeal to everyone, especially with an ending that I found unsatisfying but it does have two excellent performances from Ms. McKenzie and Ms. Hathaway.

   

     

Godzilla Minus One

 

   To be honest, this film was not even on my radar until a friend recommended it (Thanks Alan) and then I started to read positive things about it. To say I was not disappointed is an understatement.

   Written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki (he also did the special effects), the film is terrific.  Mr. Yamazaki uses the metaphor of the monster to reflect upon Japanese society just after World War Two (as well as war itself). He's not afraid to criticize the government at that time under the guise of a monster movie. 

   The special effects rival any Hollywood blockbuster and Godzilla appears as a truly terrifying monster, especially during his destruction of Ginza (which is easy to see the parallel of war torn Ukraine or even the war in the middle East). Tokyo, as well, is a bombed out shell of it's former self, even before the monster makes an appearance, due to the allied bombing of the city during the war.

   Besides the special effects and action sequences, what really makes the film special is the humanity of its lead characters, who give the movie it's heart and soul. Ryunosuke Kamiki stars as Koichi, a Kamikaze  pilot who defies his mission and first encounters the monster on a remote island (where only he and a technician named Tachibana survive). Tachibana is played by Munetaka Aoki.

   Koichi has survivor's guilt, both from the war and the monster's first strike on the island. When he returns home to a bombed out Tokyo, his family is gone and he reluctantly takes in a young woman and a baby who have nowhere else to go. His relationship with the young woman, Noriko, played by Minami Hamabe and the baby form a bond that is the strength of the film. 

   It's pretty clear that Mr. Yamazaki was influenced not only by the original film but also "Jaws". He features the monster sparingly but when he does, it's very impactful. The scenes on the ocean will definitely bring "Jaws" to mind.

   I'm still not sure what the film's title actually means but it was a pleasant surprise and a welcome addition to the Godzilla mythos. I guess you can teach an old monster new tricks.

   In Japanese with English subtitles.

Poor Things

 

          From the fertile imagination of director Yorgos Lanthimos comes the fantastic story of Bella Baxter. Unlike anything else you will see this year, this film, starring Emma Stone, is a perfect example of cinematic art.

           Emma Stone is absolutely remarkable as Bella Baxter, a Frankenstein-like creation of Dr. Goodwin Baxter, played by Willem Dafoe. Reanimated by the doctor, Bella has the brain of a baby and must face the world with a fresh start on life.

           Ms. Stone's performance is fearless, and superlatives just don't do it justice. She is simply a wonder to watch as her brain catches up with her body through the course of the film. Mr. Dafoe, under incredible makeup, is still able to give a nuanced performance as Bella's creator and father figure. The film costars Mark Ruffalo, in one of his best performances in years, as Duncan Wedderburn, a lecherous suitor and Ramy Youssef as Max, Dr. Baxter's assistant who helps Bella to learn and eventually falls in love with her. Other co-stars include Chriistopher Abbot, Herrod Carmichael, Kathryn Hunter, and Margaret Qualley.

          While the film takes place primarily in Victorian England with stops in various other countries, Mr. Lanthimos reimagines every location in a fantasy reality with remarkable sets and visuals. Filmed both in black and white as well as color, the film is a feast for the senses. The screenplay by Tony McNamara is brilliant with wonderful dialog and social commentary as Bella learns independence and demands equality.

            Full disclosure, the film deserves its R rating. There is nudity and sex but it is relevant to the story. "Poor Things" is surprising and wonderful and easily one of my favorite films of the year. It blew me away.

May December

 

    Director Todd Haynes, master of the melodrama, brings us this new film starring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore. Loosely based on real events from some years ago, Ms. Portman plays Elizabeth, an actress who comes to spend time with the woman she will portray in her next film. Ms. Moore plays her subject, Gracie. 

    Gracie, who's tabloid love affair with a 13 year old boy (10 years her junior), sent her to jail pregnant and when released, she subsequently married him and raised their children. Charles Melton plays Joe, her  now adult husband.

    Mr. Haynes is so good at making character studies his own. The film walks a fine line between disturbing drama and melodramatic comedy, reinforced by an over the top score. It's an unusual plot that finds Elizabeth digging under the surface to get to Gracie's "truth" for her role. In the course of her research, deep wounds are reopened and motivations are questioned.

   Ms. Portman really shines as Elizabeth picking apart Gracie's life for the sake of her art. Both Ms. Moore and  Mr. Melton are excellent in their complex roles, especially as Elizabeth starts to peel away layers of their seemingly happy world.

   The film is available on Netflix.

   

Silent Night

 

      From famed action director John Woo comes this nasty revenge thriller with a twist. The tag line is "Action speaks louder than words". It couldn't be more true as this film has no spoken dialog.

     Joel Kinnaman stars as Brian, a father who, at the beginning of the film,  loses his little boy during Christmas, to gang violence. He is wounded with a shot to the throat when he chases down the responsible gang. Unable to speak, Mr. Kinnaman relies on his impressive physical acting talents to convey his emotions..

    The film co-stars Scott Mescudi as the detective in charge of gang violence, Harold Torres as Playa, the leader of the gang, and Catalina Sandino Moreno as Saya, Brian's wife. There is no spoken dialog from any of the principal characters, only ambient noise, background chatter on a police radio, and a pulsing score, from Marco Beltrami, that drives the action.

    Brian circles the following Christmas on his calendar and spends the rest of the year getting in shape to get his revenge by hunting down the gang and killing them all. 

   While a typical action/revenge plot, the lack of dialog makes for an interesting experiment. In the hands of another director, it could have been a major failure but John Woo certainly knows how to deliver. While not his best work, it's still an exciting film filled with the creative, violent action you would expect from Mr. Woo.